This guide is for bloggers, YouTubers and social creators who earn commissions from links and want to disclose them properly. It covers what the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) says about disclosure placement and wording, how to handle video and social posts, and how Google treats affiliate links in search. This is general information, not legal advice. If you have a specific legal question, talk to a qualified lawyer.
When you need to disclose
The FTC’s “Disclosures 101 for Social Media Influencers” says to disclose any financial, employment, personal or family relationship with a brand. A financial tie is not limited to cash: free or discounted products and other perks count too. The FTC also says not to assume your audience already knows about your brand relationships, and to disclose even if you believe your review is unbiased.
Affiliate commissions fall squarely in this category. The FTC’s “What People Are Asking” page says to disclose the relationship clearly and conspicuously on your site, as close to the recommendation as possible. Two exceptions are worth knowing. If you bought a product yourself and simply like it, you do not need to state that you have no brand relationship. And links provided only for convenience, with no payment, do not need a disclosure.
Responsibility sits with you: the FTC’s Q&A page says it rests with the influencer and the brand, not the platform.
Where to place a disclosure on a blog
The FTC’s guidance on blogs is specific about what to avoid. Do not put the disclosure at the very top outside the post body, where readers look at the headline or image, and do not put it at the very bottom, where many readers never scroll. The best spot is very close to, or part of, the endorsement. For affiliate links, one disclosure can be enough when it sits with the embedded link and the reader sees both together. If the review and the link are far apart, readers may not connect them.
The influencer guide adds that disclosures on an About Me page, at the end of a post, or behind a “more” link are likely to be missed. The same applies to a hyperlinked “Disclosure” or “Legal” button, which the Q&A page calls easy to avoid and insufficient. A footer notice or a separate disclosure page can be a useful extra for transparency, but it should not be your only disclosure.
A practical placement pattern
- Put a plain-language sentence near the top of the post body, above the first affiliate link, in normal-size text with good contrast.
- If the post is long, or a link sits far from that sentence, repeat a short note beside the link or in the section that contains it.
- Keep a site-wide disclosure page as a backup, not as the main notice.
- Re-check old posts, not just new ones.
Wording that works, and wording that does not
The FTC does not require specific wording. Its Q&A page offers examples such as “I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post,” “This is an ad for BRAND” and “BRAND paid me to tell you about it.” The influencer guide suggests simple terms such as “ad,” “advertisement” or “sponsored.” The key is that an ordinary reader understands you are paid.
| Wording | What the FTC pages say |
|---|---|
| “I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post” | Given as example wording for affiliate links. |
| “Paid link” next to the link | Should be adequate. |
| “Affiliate link” alone | Not enough, since consumers may not understand it means you are paid. |
| “Commissionable link” | Probably not clear either. |
| “Buy now” button with no explanation | Not enough. |
| “sp,” “spon,” “collab,” standalone “thanks” or “ambassador” | Listed as vague or abbreviated terms to avoid. |
| “Gifted by BRAND” | Sufficient for a free product only, not for a paid relationship. |
Write the disclosure in the same language as the endorsement. Hashtags such as #ad are optional; the Q&A page says an “ad” label at the start of a post is probably just as effective as a hashtag, and that placement at the start matters more than the exact form.
Disclosures in videos, stories and social posts
The FTC’s three factors for “clear and conspicuous” in social media are placement, readability (a simple font on a contrasting background) and clarity (unambiguous wording). On format, the Q&A page says that if the endorsement is visual, disclose at least visually; if audible, at least audibly; if both, do both.
- Videos: put the disclosure in the video itself, not only the description. Some viewers watch without sound. For longer videos, place it at the beginning, before the endorsement, and ideally in more than one place.
- Live streams: repeat the disclosure periodically or show it continuously, so people who join late still see it. Also add one to the stream description.
- Photos and stories: superimpose the disclosure on the image and keep it on screen long enough to read.
- TikTok-style short video: the Q&A page says a text description alone is very unlikely to be clear and conspicuous. Use larger superimposed text, plus audio where the endorsement is spoken.
- Hashtag piles and comments: do not bury a disclosure among hashtags or links, and do not leave it only in comments.
How Google treats affiliate links
The FTC cares whether readers understand your financial relationship. Google cares about link signals and page quality. Meeting one does not satisfy the other.
Qualify your links with rel=”sponsored”
Google’s documentation on qualifying outbound links says to use rel="sponsored" for advertisements or paid placements, often called paid links. It notes that nofollow was previously recommended for these and is still acceptable, but Google prefers sponsored. You can combine values, for example rel="sponsored nofollow". That page does not mention affiliate links by name. Google’s separate affiliate-programs guidance says buying and selling links for advertising is not a violation if the links are qualified with nofollow or sponsored, and that affiliate links passing ranking credit without qualification fall under link spam.
In practice, check that your affiliate plugin or link manager adds the attribute to every affiliate link. Our guide on using Rank Math for affiliate link management covers one way to do this in WordPress. If you use redirect links, see our overview of link cloaking plugins and confirm the attribute survives.
Avoid thin affiliate pages
Google’s spam policies define thin affiliation as publishing affiliate product pages whose descriptions and reviews are copied directly from the original merchant without original content or added value. Participating in an affiliate program does not make a site thin, and Google says good affiliate pages add value through things like additional information about price, original product reviews, rigorous testing and ratings, product category navigation and product comparisons.
Write reviews readers can use
Google’s guidance on writing high-quality reviews recommends evaluating the product from the reader’s point of view, backing up your experience with visuals, audio or links to your own work, describing benefits and drawbacks, and explaining what sets a product apart from alternatives. When you call something the best, it says to explain why with first-hand evidence. It says to focus on originality and quality rather than length. Only claim first-hand testing if you really did it.
Common mistakes
- Relying on a footer or “About” page as the only disclosure.
- Using “affiliate link” or “#ambassador” and assuming everyone understands it.
- Adding
rel="sponsored"and treating that as the disclosure. - Copying merchant descriptions into a post and calling it a review.
If you are still building your program, our beginner guide to affiliate marketing gives the wider context.
Key takeaways
- Disclose any affiliate relationship close to the link or recommendation, not only in a footer or profile.
- Use plain wording that explains you earn money, such as “I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post.”
- In video and live content, disclose inside the content, visually and audibly where relevant, and repeat it for live streams.
- Qualify affiliate links with rel=”sponsored” (nofollow is still acceptable), but keep the visible disclosure too.
- Add original value to affiliate pages, because Google’s spam policies target thin, copied merchant content.
- This article is general information, not legal advice.
FAQ
Is a footer disclosure enough?
According to the FTC’s Q&A page, no. It advises against placing the disclosure at the very bottom, where many readers will not reach it, and says it is best placed very close to, or part of, the endorsement.
Is “affiliate link” an acceptable label?
The FTC says “affiliate link” alone is not enough, since consumers may not understand it means you are paid. It says “paid link” next to an affiliate link should be adequate, and gives “I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post” as example wording.
Do I need rel=”sponsored” if I already disclose?
They serve different purposes. A visible disclosure is for readers; the rel attribute is a signal for Google. Google’s guidance says paid links should be qualified with sponsored or nofollow, and that sponsored is preferred.
Does a platform’s “paid partnership” tool cover me?
Not automatically. The FTC says built-in platform tools are not automatically sufficient and that you should add your own clear disclosure as well.
Sources
- Disclosures 101 for Social Media Influencers (FTC)
- The FTC’s Endorsement Guides: What People Are Asking (FTC)
- Qualify your outbound links to Google (Google Search Central)
- Spam policies for Google web search (Google Search Central)
- Affiliate programs guidance (Google Search Central)
- Write high quality reviews (Google Search Central)